Another year, another go-karting race, but not another trophy for Kevin!

Being out on the road running our safety training courses can be a bit lonely- we get to meet lots of nice people, but its new people every week. So whenever we have a staff training day we try and do some bonding!

Having covered what's new in ERT and in the industry [the forthcoming changes in First Aid courses causing some excitement] it was off to our local go-karting track for the afternoon. Having been twice before, with Kevin carrying off the winner's trophy both times, it was time for a change. A different event, combined with a little cheating creative driving means it is with great pleasure I announce our current champion..... Paul.

Finally a competition, spot the sore loser in the photo above, answers on an email to the usual address.

As reported here there have been various statements issued related to "hands only CPR". The American Heart Association have advocated a move to "hands only" CPR dropping the need for nouth to mouth, but the European Resuscitation Council believes there isn't sufficient evidence to warrant a change.

The UK Resuscitation Council have pinned their colours to the mast here, and also believe the evidence isn't compelling enough to require a change before the 2010 congress.

Therefore the current UK and European guidelines can be found here or you can watch a video here.

A GP has developed a way to find up to 500,000 people with potential diabetes who risk being overlooked by their doctors.

To find out more click here

The Nintendo Wii games console is being used as part of physiotherapy treatment for patients in South-East England. 

To read in full click here

Would you know what to do if a child stops breathing?

Why not make sure you do with our "Child First Aid" short course, held at our Rayleigh Training Centre on the following dates:

21 Feb, 10 March, 10 April, 12 May, 5 June, 7 July, 15 Sept, 13 Oct & 10 Nov - from 1.00pm to 2.30pm. 

Call 0870 7409247 or email info@ertuk.co.uk to reserve your place - cost £10.00 per delegate.

Errr, its us!

Emergency Response Training was recently awarded " Best Health and Safety training" by Business and Commerce Today.

In winning the 2007 Health and Safety training award we are pleased at the recognition for our training methods and style. Emergency Response Training was also commended on its "responsible, ethical organisation".

Thank you and we look forward to the 2008 awards!

The HSE has released further information on the future of workplace first aid training. Employer's will need to carry out an assessment of their first aid training needs and then select one of two courses.

The First Aid at Work (FAW) course will be 18 hours (3 days) long with a shorter Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) lasting 6 hours available. Both courses (if successfully completed) will lead to a qualification valid for three years, with a yearly update course (4 hour) required. In year 3 the FAW can be refreshed with a 12 hour course, the EFAW by re-attending the 6 hour course.

For the time being the HSE will continue to approve organisations to run FAW courses, this giving automatice approval for EFAW and refresher training. Other ogranisations such as the QCA or SQA may also develop approvals for EFAW training.

For the full details click here to visit the HSE website. A further update with for Scottish readers can be found here.

Emergency Response Training is proud to announce the official launch of its Tactical Care Officer course range. Having run bespoke training for Police Firearms staff we can now offer a "complete" training package.

Designed to reflect the current requirements for Police medics in this demanding role, the course focuses on the practical application of  basic and advanced life saving skills.

For more detail contact the office on 0870 740 9247 and ask for Alistair or Nicky.

Training courses, medical emergencies, fires and mutlimedia broadcasting- its all in a days work of Barry.

Still at Lakeside for the darts, when an extra special referee was needed for an extra special match, it was obvious it would be Barry.

Scott Mills, the relatively popular DJ from BBC Radio 1, played a match against Bobby George on Thursday. It would seem Barry wasn't worked too hard to add up Scott's score!

For more detail- visit the BBC website.

Just a quick, and belated, congratulations to Claire who recently graduated from Greenwich University with her Certificate of Education. After two years of hard study, assessments and assignments, all on top of her day job, it is great to see Claire receive this official recognition of her teaching skills.

Well done you.

To all our blog viewers!

Some people may be genetically destined to have a generous personality, Israeli research has suggested!

Click here to read more!

A toy that allows children aged 3-6 to exercise while playing on a computer is being tipped as a Christmas bestseller. Users pedal the stationary Smart Cycle while following routes on screen. Dr Colin Waine, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, based in Nottingham, said: “Obesity in children has reached epidemic proportions . . . doctors are worried that type2 diabetes, previously associated with adults, is rising in our children. It was only a matter of time before manufacturers wove calorie burning into toys.

History shows that medical advances are often driven by extreme circumstances such as war.

The BBC is reporting the remarkable progress and performance of the British Army's medical services in war zones.

"More British servicemen were seriously injured in Afghanistan in the first nine months of 2007 than in the whole of the rest of the present conflict.

Grim as that fact is, many of those so-called "catastrophic" wounds would have been fatal in previous wars.

Even as recently as five years ago many would not have returned home alive, the head of battlefield medicine for the armed forces says. "

To read the full article click here